


Studying and wasting time

by Balderdash (duckdistributor)



Category: The Glass Scientists (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Love, M/M, Self-Hatred, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21557461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckdistributor/pseuds/Balderdash
Summary: University life is stressful and time consuming. Robert Lanyon and Henry Jekyll, two young and rash students in London, are trying their best to manage their time, and control their thoughts. Both are failing considerably.
Relationships: Dr. Henry Jekyll/Dr. Robert Lanyon
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	Studying and wasting time

**Author's Note:**

> Can you believe that Jekyon was canon all this time, and that no one told me?  
> This story takes place back when Henry and Robert were still young university students, trying to find their place in the world. I hope you'll enjoy!

Robert Lanyon had to admit, that it was sometimes very difficult to concentrate. 

The man usually prided himself in being a hard-working fellow, partially due to his strict upbringing (Though he didn’t like to think about it like that). However, there were of course certain cases, where even  _ he  _ couldn’t read through a book and achieve coherent thought patterns through the information in it.

One of those cases happened to be today, and it was getting boundlessly annoying. 

He flipped through a book on human anatomy, reading page 83 over and over again. He repeatedly realized he hadn’t processed any of the information in it, and slowly had to admit to himself that perhaps now wasn’t a very good time to study.

He closed the book in his lap, feeling it’s weight on it as he did so, and straightened his back. It turned out that he had, despite his better judgement, been slouching, making his change in posture feel nicer than it was supposed to.

Lanyon blinked a couple of times, welcoming the light of day. The park was fairly busy at this hour, but he didn’t mind. The bench he was sitting on was miraculously empty and even if it wasn’t, it would not matter. Lanyon highly preferred to spend time around other people. He had grown accustomed to busy environments and while they didn’t make him  _ comfortable _ per say, they were the ones he was most familiar with. Sometimes, that was all that mattered. Familiarity.

This was one of the reasons why his comfortability was getting annoying. It was getting out of hand. It overshadowed familiarity and caught him off guard when he least expected it.

One of these annoyingly comfortable things was his University room. He was getting a little too used to his bunk bed, the stone walls and the large window, that allowed light to shine through at inconvenient hours.

Another very annoyingly comfortable thing was his University roommate. Henry Jekyll. Whenever Lanyon thought about the man in question, he felt his insides twist in a delectably painful way. Every part of his mind started to scream at him rather aggressively. While those things didn't particularly  _ sound  _ annoyingly comfortable, Jekyll's presence certainly was.

That morning when Lanyon woke up, his roommate had already been up for hours doing God knows what. Lanyon had found himself admiring Jekyll's soft hair and the way his hand curled around the pen as he took notes from a book. There was something pleasing about admiring the man from afar when he thought no one is looking. Perhaps doing such was immoral. Lanyon just told himself, that he was still half asleep, making it so that him watching his roommate would not count. 

Lanyon had attempted to forget about such annoyingly comfortable factors by getting familiar with a routine, which involved as few of them as possible. Well… Not  _ as possible _ , but he certainly attempted to forget about them whenever he managed to get away.

This afternoon was a great example of him failing at this. As he was looking at a bright green tree, the leaves still new on each branch, some of his senses told him, that someone was nearby. Just as he was about to look for the source of his suspicions, he heard them speak on their own. 

“Studying?” a terribly comfortable voice asked. Lanyon let out a little unwelcome gasp. As he looked up, he saw an elegantly dressed man with a sharp chin and a slim figure. His hair was a bit of a mess, presumably tired after a class or a couple of hours of studying on his own. Henry Jekyll. Lanyon’s roommate and closest friend.

Lanyon hoped that Jekyll hadn’t noticed how startled he had been at first and put on a confident smile. Confidence, or at the very least  _ seeming _ confident, was an important factor in any influential social encounter. With Jekyll in particular, it was hard not to get carried away in such an appearance. 

“Going outside for once?” Lanyon asked jokingly, “For what purpose, I wonder?”

Jekyll smiled back, trying his best to humour Lanyon’s confidence. Jekyll had adopted multiple behavioural patterns from Lanyon during their time together. Lanyon wasn’t certain if that was a good thing or not. “I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. Why are  _ you _ here.”

“I was studying, but I am taking a break.” Lanyon simply said, "It is unlike you to go for walks these days."

Jekyll made an odd expression. Lanyon hoped it wasn't guilt. It was never his intention to provoke guilt in his friend. "Perhaps." Jekyll said.

"It is good to do so every once in awhile. Taking breaks is important." Lanyon said.

Jekyll nodded looking at the empty space beside Lanyon, "May I sit, or would that disturb you?"

Lanyon smiled and gestured to the closed book, "Not much to disturb."

Henry sat down on the bench and Lanyon felt the warmth inside him increase. His friend was sitting very close to him. This wasn't anything he would complain about of course. It was just a fact. An annoyingly comfortable fact.

Lanyon confidently looked into Jekyll's (saturated brown?) eyes, trying not to think about the fact too much. He was quite skilled at pretending he wasn't doing the things he was doing. 

“How has the day been treating you?"

Jekyll leaned back slightly on the bench, "A bit stressful, but otherwise alright."

"I know what you mean." was all Lanyon said. He looked at the side of Jekyll’s face once again. Henry wasn’t looking at Robert at all in that moment, which was both a blessing and a curse. As Lanyon looked at his friend’s face, he found himself wishing for a more serene expression upon it. It seemed that Jekyll’s face was always a little tense. Lanyon could not blame him, but he constantly wished to ease it. He was constantly looking for ways to do so, but so far, the furthest he had gotten was turning it into an expression of surprise and slight embarrassment. Of course, that was an achievement in itself. 

If only they were in a private enough space for him to get Jekyll to look like that now.

There it was again. The annoying familiarity. 

“Now, Henry…” Lanyon said, abruptly and gracefully (or so he hoped) standing up. He looked at his friend with a cheerful smile, “If neither of us intend to study out here, we might as well take a small walk.”

Jekyll looked a tiny bit caught off guard by this suggestion. Good. That was exactly the type of reaction he had hoped for. “I just sat down.” Jekyll said.

Lanyon continued to smile and reached his hand towards Jekyll, so that it could be taken. It was simply there to assist his friend in getting up, of course, “That should not prevent you from standing up again. I bet you have been sitting still all day either way.” 

Jekyll’s eyes darted up and down between the stretched out hand and Lanyon’s face, which only made Robert smile even wider.

Jekyll awkwardly reached out for Lanyon's hand and used it for support as intended. Jekyll's hand was warm in the early spring air.

As soon as the two of them were standing, Lanyon quickly let go, disappointing himself slightly in a very stupid and illogical way. He saw Jekyll let his arm fall down into a somewhat relaxed position.

Lanyon started walking down the path in the busy park and saw Henry following him close by. The two walked around the park for a couple of minutes without saying anything. Lanyon’s head held high, and Jekyll’s eye mainly looking at the ground. It was not a bad silence, simply an annoyingly comfortable one. “What exactly did you do today?” Lanyon asked.

“I mainly studied.” Jekyll replied. 

Lanyon walked a bit slower at this comment, “I feel like I heard you work on something when I woke up this morning. Was that for school?”

Henry stiffened in his walk at this comment, “Well, not exactly…”

“What was it then?” Robert said, allowing himself to move a little bit closer to his friend.

“Well uhm…” Henry started awkwardly, “You know how… It is well…”

“Yes?” Lanyon pushed.

  
“I was looking into the human mind. Just some… Rogue scientific theories. Nothing too serious.”

Lanyon smiled at the fact that Jekyll still found the time to pursue some of his passions. It was always a joy to listen to Henry talking about such passions, though it was a rare occurrence. Lanyon wanted to listen to Jekyll being carried away in his work. He wanted to see Henry’s eyes sparkle as the world disappeared around him. “Fascinating! May I hear about it sometime?”

Jekyll smiled slightly, “Perhaps.” after a brief pause he continued, “I also had a lecture with Professor Hallewell.”

Lanyon visibly cringed at the name, “Ah yes… A pain as always?”

“One should think, but he wasn’t very bad today.” Jekyll answered, “He acted rather calm, even when he noticed that Easton forgot to bring a pen for taking notes.”

“That is unlike him.” Lanyon said surprised.

The two continued to discuss utterly mundane things, as they looked at park scenery. Towards the end of the conversation, they made it all the way to the university building. The beautiful architecture towered above them.

“I should really get back to studying.” Henry said, to Robert’s dismay.

“Ah, of course.” Lanyon said. He stopped walking and Jekyll did the same. Robert took advantage of this occasion by stepping just a small step closer to Henry than he normally would, smiling somewhat confidently and looking into Henry’s eyes. He gently placed his hand on Henry’s shoulder, “Hold up, let me fix your cravat.”. The cravat in question was only a little out of place, but Lanyon fixed his attention on it and brushed the edges with the back of his hands, feeling Henry’s warm breath on his chin. He smiled once his work was done, and let his eyes move back up to Henry’s face only somewhat involuntarily lingering on Henry’s lip for a moment longer than the rest. As he looked at Henry’s eyes again, he could tell that his friend was blushing slightly. This made Robert’s heart beat a little faster.

“I’ll see you later in our room, will I not? You need to sleep properly tonight.”

“Oh… Y-yeah of course.” Henry said, “I might have some studying to get done before I go to sleep though.” 

Lanyon sighed and stepped away, “I hope you will sleep at some point.”

At this, Henry simply nodded, smiled warmly at Lanyon and started walking towards the University entrance. 

This once again relieved Lanyon from the annoyingly comfortable presence, and left him alone with his stupidly familiar thoughts.

* * *

The library was filled with different types of students. Some were trying to get the last bit of knowledge knocked into their minds before the next important test. Some, but few, were just eager to read up on their favourite subjects. A few didn't look like they wanted to be there in the first place and glanced at the door or the window every once in a while, as if they were looking for a way to escape.

Henry Jekyll himself, had managed to find a secluded corner, far away from all of them. It wasn't that he  _ disliked _ people… Or well… Perhaps he did, but this was not a fact he would allow himself to consider in that moment. No. Henry Jekyll rather felt uncomfortable around them. Their endless chattering, their whispering, their judgemental eyes and their facade which he never seemed to be able to ease into just as well as the others.

Now, Jekyll wasn't entirely naive. He knew that he wasn't the only one who felt this way. He knew that the same thoughts were hiding within some of the others. You saw them every once in a while.

Yet a small part of Jekyll considered… No. Was entirely convinced, that there was something particularly rotten about himself. Some of his fleeting thoughts could not be silenced.

It was clear to himself that Henry Jekyll was entirely wrong, and that it was only a matter of time before everyone would notice. Was this just paranoia? Perhaps, but thoughts were difficult to get rid of.

This lack of a proper facade was one of the many reasons why Jekyll’s pure admiration for Robert Lanyon shined through every once in a while. This one man was more of a gentleman than Jekyll would ever be. Jekyll aspired to be like his roommate all the time. Lanyon’s friendly demeanor, his confident smiles, his knowledge of basic etiquette… Jekyll wanted to learn about it all, and become the ideal english gentleman. Just like Robert Lanyon.

Jekyll sighed and looked at the pen in his hand. He changed the position of his hand once. He couldn’t afford to daydream at that time. He had some studying to do. 

Jekyll read through many chapters of several different books, taking notes within the best of his ability. Most of the things weren’t new to him, but he had to make sure he did well. He  _ needed _ to do well. 

A couple of times, Henry’s mind drifted elsewhere, which was inconvenient to say the least. Sometimes it went to earlier that afternoon, when he saw his closest friend once again. The two hung out quite often, but sometimes their responsibilities got in the way. At least, that was what he hoped got in the way. Sometimes, Henry felt like Robert was avoiding him. Perhaps that wouldn’t be that odd. Jekyll was only a boy from Glasgow, with an interest in untraditional sciences and aspirations that were too big for his own good. Lanyon was a practiced gentleman with many skills, who also had many fascinating interests and a rich upbringing. Henry Jekyll did not want to waste Lanyon’s time. 

Yet again, it didn’t seem like Robert  _ didn’t _ enjoy spending time with Henry. In fact, he seemed to encourage it whenever Henry got nearby. Sometimes Robert would walk just a little too close. What baffled Henry the most was the interest Robert took in Henry’s personal work. Jekyll sometimes wondered if Lanyon really did find it as fascinating as he claimed. 

He corrected his own posture several times that afternoon. As he took notes, his mind drifted between pectoralis major, cravat, cor, sleep, trachea, fascinating, good, rotten and evil. Time passed slowly but effectively. He ate a bit of food once his stomach required it, and eventually, he had reviewed most of the necessary curriculum for the next while.

He felt a comfortable, warm hand on his shoulder. Henry felt his heart beat faster at the touch, “I thought I’d find you here. Dear, Henry. It is nearly 9pm. You must return to our room.” Robert said. The voice was warm and caring.

Henry looked up to see his friend standing tall and tired with a straightened back, “Robert, I am not a child.”

“Then perhaps you should not act stubborn as one.” Robert insisted calmly. His voice was always so calm and controlled. Jekyll felt the warmth inside his gut increase a little.

“Fine. I shall return to our room in a couple of minutes.” Jekyll said.

“Good. I’ll wait here” Lanyon said, removing his hand from Jekyll’s shoulder.

“You don’t have to do that.” Jekyll said, attempting to mimic Lanyon’s calm voice. Lanyon didn’t respond to this and pulled out a wooden chair near Jekyll. He sat down in it, and appeared to wait.

Of course he did.

This was once again one of the times, where Jekyll wondered, why Robert wasted so much time waiting for Henry. It should not be beneficial for his friend to do so. Henry felt a burning pressing in his stomach. He bit his lip.

Jekyll finished reading the final page, feeling a little watched. As he was holding his pen, taking the final notes, it felt as if Robert was looking him up and down. Perhaps Henry was only imagining it.

“Alright.” Jekyll said, placing his pen in his pocket and packing his notepad and books.

“Alright?” Lanyon asked, although the meaning of Henry’s phrase had been heavily implied.

“I am ready to go now.” Jekyll insisted, standing up on his own. His voice almost sounded annoyed, but it softened a little as he added, “I must admit, that I am feeling a little tired.”

The final addition appeared to make Lanyon smile warmly, which made Jekyll’s cheeks feel warm. This was a bit of an inconvenience, since he was certain, that this would be visible to his friend. Jekyll hoped his friend wouldn’t make the association, that Jekyll dreaded.

“I am glad.” Robert said, “Come along then.”

Lanyon rose from the chair and pushed it back underneath the table. Then he started walking. Henry followed, feeling slightly drawn to his roommate. It happened on occasion, but he was mostly able to resist. The two walked outside, into the cold London evening air. Lanyon was leading the way as he often did. Jekyll didn’t mind, that Lanyon lead the way. It was helpful sometimes, as it felt like he had something to strive for. Robert walked frighteningly close to Henry halfway to their room, and their shoulders brushed against each other. Jekyll tried not to think about it, but it was difficult to pretend that everything that happened was not happening. 

“Why do you care so much about my bedtime?” Jekyll asked, cautiously. Perhaps it was to distract himself a little, but he was genuinely curious about it.

Lanyon appeared to contemplate the question for a little while, “Because i largely prefer it when you’re well-rested.”

“Do you think me that unbearable when I am not?” Jekyll smiled jokingly.

  
Lanyon smiled back, “That’s not the only reason I prefer it.”   
  


Henry started to overthink that phrase, but decided not to ask any further questions. He didn’t want to annoy his friend, and it was likely unimportant. It was all only thoughts after all. Terribly loud ones.

As the two walked inside a stone door, the cold air turned warmer and heavier around them. There was a mixed smell of wood, stone and left-over paper. Soon, they found themselves After navigating a couple of staircases and hallways, the two found themselves by an incredibly familiar door.

Lanyon stopped right outside of it. It quickly became clear to Jekyll, that he was the one who was supposed to open it. He calmly placed his hand on the familiar doorknob and pushed the door open in a controlled motion, which surprised himself. Henry entered the room, and Lanyon came in right after, closing the door behind him. It made a meek and hollow sound. 

Robert sighed contently, easing Henry’s shoulders involuntarily as he did so. Robert then proceeded to walk to his bed with long, casual steps.

* * *

It didn’t take Robert long to ease into the comfort of his bed. He was once again succumbed by the annoyingly comfortable factors, playing tricks on his mind. Henry had sat down right next to him the second, Robert moved aside to indicate that it was an option. Why did Jekyll accept Lanyon’s silent offerings like that? It was not helpful to get Lanyon to control his thoughts. It didn’t allow Lanyon to stick to familiarity. In fact, whenever Henry was around, it got increasingly difficult for Lanyon to separate familiarity from comfortability. 

“What will help you fall asleep tonight, Henry?” Robert asked cautiously. He felt Henry tense up beside him. It had become an inevitable question these last couple of days, and Lanyon was always careful when he asked. 

“I… Well… I don’t know. Y-you don’t have to do anything. I’ll fall asleep on my own eventually.” Jekyll replied nervously.

“Your nightmares, Henry. They’re getting worse.” Robert said, “I want you to feel as comfortable as possible.”

At this, Jekyll simply looked away. It didn’t take a genius (Which Lanyon sometimes jokingly considered himself) to know, that Henry Jekyll was ashamed. It made no sense really. Nightmares were beyond anyone’s control. It always highlighted a lump in Robert’s stomach whenever he saw Henry being ashamed of things beyond anyone’s control.

“Listen, Henry.” Robert daringly placed a hand under Henry’s chin, and gently pulled his friend’s head towards him, so that Henry had no choice but to look at Lanyon, “I really want to help you sleep decently tonight. Would you deny me that opportunity?”

Lanyon felt Jekyll swallow something. “No… I…” Henry removed Robert’s hand unhurriedly, looking down, “You’re right… I just don’t know what would help.”

The two remained silent for a little. Robert considered the possibilities. Something had to help. After a bit of consideration, he smiled amicably at Henry and brushed the inner part of his own bed.

“Lay down right here.” Robert said. He noticed a slight blush on Henry’s face, which caused Lanyon’s to doubt his own actions slightly. This was not a common thing for Lanyon to doubt these days, which was altogether a frightening experience.

After a few seconds, to Lanyon’s relief, Jekyll did as he was told. Robert then laid down next to Henry. He felt a brief flutter in his stomach, which he tried his best to ignore. There was no time for that.

“Do you wish to talk about your nightmares?” Robert asked in an almost hopeful tone. Jekyll often kept quiet about those things, which was alright of course, but from the tiny snippets Lanyon had caught, there was no doubt that everything in the nightmares often tormented Henry.

Jekyll took a while to answer. He sighed, “Not tonight.”

Lanyon nodded professionally, “Alright. Do you wish to talk about the trees then?”

  
Henry smiled in a very confused manner, “The trees?”

Robert smiled back, “Trees are much nicer than nightmares.”

Henry chuckled a little bit which Lanyon saw as one of his biggest accomplishments in that moment. “I suppose you are right.”

“What trees have you seen today?” Robert asked curiously.

“W-well… I saw a couple in the park.” Henry said.

“What did they look like?” Robert asked.

“You saw them, didn’t you?” Jekyll said. The back of their hands accidentally touched, and Jekyll pulled away.

“Refresh my memory please.” Robert begged, also drawing his hand back, as it seemed to be what Jekyll wished to do.

“Well… They were were very young and green.” Henry said.

“And?”

“And they had a lot of leaves.” Henry finished.

Lanyon thought for a moment, “What did the tree trunks look like?”

“A greyish brown. They had a nice irregular pattern.” Henry continued.

“Quite human of them to be irregular.” Robert jested.

This seemed to place Henry on an entirely different train of thought. He scoffed once, “I suppose it is.”

Robert felt Henry’s breath against his left ear, as the two were facing towards one another. It was the most annoyingly comfortable position he had been in all day. Henry’s eyes were tired and expectant. He was awaiting Robert’s next plan for falling asleep. Before Lanyon had the time to think up one, Jekyll turned around, so that he was looking at the upper bunk bed. “Robert?” he said sheepishly.

“Yes?” Lanyon questioned.

Jekyll swallowed something in his throat, “I can’t tell if you’re avoiding me or not.”

This comment made Robert’s insides twist with guilt and perplexion, “Why would I be avoiding you?”

Jekyll continued not to look at Lanyon, as he briefly rubbed his eyes, “You’d have several reasons to.”

“Like what?” Lanyon said like a whisper.

At this, Henry turned around, looking into Robert’s eyes once again. There was something terribly melancholic about them. As if they were awaiting an inevitable doom. “Surely you see that I am nothing but a waste of your time.” he said meekly.

Robert’s eyes darted open. No. That was all wrong, “Henry, you are  _ anything _ but a waste of time.” he moved a little closer, gradually placing his hand on the back of Henry’s head. Jekyll looked rather confused at this. “If I’d ever avoid you, it would merely be because I am not prioritizing my time correctly.”

“No. No.  _ No _ !” Jekyll said suddenly, moving Lanyon’s arm away from his head and sitting up in the bed. His back was straightened. This left Robert cold. Jekyll placed his hands on each side of his head, rubbing his temples. His eyes were closed and tense.

“What’s wrong, Henry?” Robert asked, the concern barely hidden in his voice.

Jekyll continued to rub his temples, a worried expression on his face. His breath was fast and hollow. After a while, he let out a frustrated sigh, and Lanyon could see the eyes barely open, “Sometimes, I think I am wrong.”

“Wrong about what?” Robert asked, trying his best to remain calm.

Jekyll looked at Lanyon, with desperation in his eyes. Then he turned his head again, “I think that  _ I _ may be  _ wrong _ .”

“I think you may be one of the least wrong people I know.” Robert just said. His insides were not taking well to the situation. He felt terribly alone, while lying next to a sitting Jekyll. Henry sighed once again, looked at Robert, looked at the upper bunk, and looked at Robert again.

Then, he slowly laid down in defeat.

Robert gradually placed his hand on the back of Henry’s head again, and started playing around with his friend’s hair. He ended up massaging it gently. He saw Henry’s eyelids move a little with each touch.

  
“W-what are you doing?” Jekyll asked.

“Calming you down.” Lanyon simply said, “Is it working?”

Henry yawned involuntarily, “I suppose… A little bit at least.”

“More so than talk of trees?” Robert asked.

Henry chuckled, “I am too tired to tell.”

A couple of minutes passed. The pair didn’t move from their position. After a minute or two, Henry’s eyes closed, but Lanyon could tell that his friend wasn’t asleep.

“Would it help if I sang you a lullaby?” Robert whispered.

Jekyll opened his eyes. Lanyon could see something nervous and confused in the expression, though it was only there for a second. Henry nodded drowsily.

* * *

Robert Lanyon’s singing voice wasn’t flawless. This was one of the things which had always confused Jekyll. It wasn’t that he was naive enough to believe that everything about Lanyon was perfect, but an odd and familiar feeling often surrounded Henry, whenever he discovered one of the small visible flaws.

> “Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
> 
> All through the night.” 

Robert sang. It was quiet and serene, and Robert often aimed at a note that was either slightly too high or slightly too low for his range.

> “Guardian angels, God will send thee,
> 
> All through the night.”

It was calming in its own right. It wasn’t perfect. It was real. It was genuine and sincere. This was not just Lanyon. This was Robert Lanyon. Right there next to him, caring for him so openly.

> “Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
> 
> Hill and dale in slumber sleeping,”

Worries of nightmares weren’t gone, but as he listened to Robert’s active voice, they were paused. Even if it was brief and even if they were still right there in sight, it was nice. It was comfortable.

> I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
> 
> All through the night.”

In that moment, Henry Jekyll felt safe and loved. No matter how little he deserved it, no matter how  _ wrong  _ he was, he felt it. Right before Henry fell asleep, he felt his forehead being stroked and the soft touch of lips upon it.

Though he was sure he was just imagining it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you notice any spelling errors please let me know, so that I can fix it.
> 
> Comments with some critique or just general thoughts on the story, are greatly appreciated and they make my day!  
> You can also find me on my tgs side-blog on tumblr: https://simplycodswallop.tumblr.com/


End file.
